FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 18

" All these crystals and there is not even one single red gem here!" Cynder exclaimed and kicked furiously one of the stones laying on the floor to somehow let go off the steam " This headache is killing me!"

" Sparx chuckled inwardly " You are more fun when you are drooling and mumbling"

" Shut up Sparx" she snarled " I'm not in the mood"

" What's the big deal?" he shrugged " Anyone can be beaten and humiliated, it doesn't matter that it always happens to you, I mean what can you do right? It's not like that is your fault" he said with a sarcastic tone

She rubbed her forehead " Spyro tell your insufferable brother to stop or I swear I'll gut him"

Sparx extended his arms protectively " Whoa, whoa Cyn relax, I'm just joking. Look I've promised Spyro to take care of you so I will"

Cynder snorted " And what can you possibly know about healing, huh?"

" I've learnt some tricks from my Mom, so what do you say? Wanna give it a shot?"

" No thank you" she retorted bluntly

Sparx shrugged " It's your call, if you don't want to receive at least a bit of relief then be my guest"

She thought about it for a moment, the pain was unbearable, she as well might let him try, it's not like she has anything to lose " Fine, just no sudden moves"

Corner of his mouth turned into a mischievous smile " You are not going to regret this" the grimace vanished the moment he began hovering in front of the black dragoness" Sit and we will begin"

Reluctantly she did as she has been told. He crossed his fingers and with a snap of his knuckles began extending his hand towards Cynder.

She moved her head cautiously backwards " Just what do you think you are doing?"

Sparx frowned irritably " If you keep moving we won't get anywhere, just sit still I need to locate source of the pain" he extended his hands once again but this time touched one side of her head " Does it hurt?"

Cynder winced " Yes" she hissed painfully

Sparx touched the other side of her head " What about here?"

She winced again " Yes"

This time he moved a bit closer towards her forehead " Here?"

"Yes"

Once again his hand ventured a bit closer " And here?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed irritated " Are you going to do something about it finally or not?"

" Don't worry I've got it covered" he assured her, however the little devil on his shoulder couldn't stop laughing " I know from where the pain is coming from, I've located the source, now the most important part, I just need to..." Sparx inhaled deeply " Defeat it!" he exclaimed and slapped her forehead before he quickly darted upwards

Cynder groaned in pain " What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted furiously

" I'm cheating the nervous system! Just ask the Big Guy he will tell you-"

" You are so dead now!" she growled and dashed after the dragonfly

He yelped before starting to fly away as far as possible " Bro help! She's trying to kill me!"

" You've started it" Spyro answered absolutely unconcerned, his entire focus was set on the blue gem he was holding in his paw. He eyed it carefully, however he couldn't spot anything special. It was the same size like any other gem, it shone just like any other gem but the moment he absorbed it the crystal washed his body not with refreshing and cooling sensation but with dread and he had no idea why.

" BRO!" Sparx yelled at the top of his lungs while he unexpectedly appeared below him. Spyro gasped and jerked backwards, the gem jumped in his paw. Focus returned to the purple dragon as he quickly tried to catch the gem before it shattered on the ground, the crystal bounced on his paws as he desperately tried to get a good hold of it. After a brief struggle the gem returned once again into Spyro's paw, he sighed in relief after saving the crystal.

Sparx shook his purple foreleg before looking at him pleadingly " You gotta help me, she's crazy!"

Spyro threw him a scoldful glance " You shouldn't have provoked Cynder in the first place"

" Ok my bad, but that doesn't mean-"

He was cut off by Cynder landing just next to Spyro " Got you" she said with a menacing tone

Sparx hugged to Spyro's foreleg " Help!" he squealed

" Volteer's awake yet?" the purple dragon turned around and began walking towards his laying friend, completely not interested in the situation that was brewing around him

" What..." Sparx stammered while he was lifted above ground when Spyro made a step "... are... you...doing?"

Cynder sidestepped every time Spyro moved, she kept walking low on her paws, watching the dragonfly intently just like a lioness hunts her prey

" Sort it out yourselves, I'm staying out of it" Spyro shook his foreleg violently making the dragonfly lose his grasp of it.

" He is right!" Sparx exclaimed quickly just when Cynder was about to pounce at him " We are both adults right? So let's act like adults, we put aside our differences and from now on we keep our heads cool. You in?"

Cynder stopped her advance, she jerked back after hearing his proposition, however she did that on purpose. She knew Sparx well enough and could tell when he is lying just to save his skin. She decided to play along, he will lower his guard sooner or later.

" You are right" she sighed with faked embarrassment

The dragonfly balked " I am?"

" Yeah, just think about it, we fight almost every single time, let's act normally for once"

Sparx furrowed a brow " You mean what? You want a truce or something?"

She nodded " That's exactly what I mean. You in?"

He rested his head in his open palm and patted his chin with his forefinger, thinking " I'm in" he stated after a moment of silent consideration " But I thought that you'll be mad at me after that little joke"

Cynder giggled and waved her paw dismissively " There's nothing to talk about, no harm done"

" Why I don't trust you?"

She sighed tiredly " Listen, I've got a headache and I'm tired, I don't want to chase you all over this cavern. Let's just end it for now, ok?"

Sparx stared at her with his arms folded on his chest " Spyro you hear this?"

Spyro's head rose from behind some gem cluster " Yeah I do" his eyes quickly located the black dragoness" How are you feeling?"

She bit her lower lip and tilted her head " Well let's see...I've got a nose bleed, probably every possible bone broken and my head is pounding" she gave Spyro a meaningful look " I'm fine!"

Spyro shook his head and returned to his previous point of focus, he almost pressed his nose to the glistening surface of the gems. His own purple snout reflected from the crystalline body as he looked over the gems from top to bottom.

" Engrossing aren't they?" a familiar yet quite raspy voice sounded from behind the purple dragon

He instantly spun around " Volteer!" Spyro exclaimed fearfully " You scared me, how you are holding up?"

The Electric Guardian shifted on the ground, he aligned his body in such a way so he could observe the gem clusters" It's perplexing how quickly arduous tasks harrow my body, the lifeline on which I so continually trudge got more mountainous and I find it more and more onerous to subjugate its terrains to my will. The sun has ultimately declared that my warrior's days had come to an end, however my heart beats with acute gaiety after it grasped the sight of youngsters taking what's meant to be theirs"

" Come on Volteer you are not that old"

The amber dragon smiled " Appealing words Spyro but so erroneous"

Spyro felt saddened after his words, he liked the amber dragon despite his wagging tongue, he has a very cheerful personality, the one people look for in the most dire of times. Just thinking that he won't be traveling with him any longer depressed Spyro greatly " So what are you going to do now?" he asked with a palpable anguish in his voice

Volteer pulled himself up from the ground " I presume that our mission requires fulfilment" with that he made his way towards the gems clusters

The moment Volteer's snout reflected from the surface of the crystals just next to Spyro's image, the purple dragon couldn't keep his curiosity from erupting any longer " What's so special about them?"

" I'm assured that you can elicit late Ignitus' words concerning dragons and our demise, yes? As you know we are uncanny creatures weaved from magic itself, the same source spawned the world as we know it now. With every recent entity the mythical vitality of our world is being squandered and to restore that dissipated power we reimburse the obtained energy after our demise"

" That explains why Spirit Gems are called our life force" Volteer continued " After we perish this is what we bequeath for future generations, a section of our own essence cradled in an ethereal sphere"

Spyro's eyes shot wide open " This is Malefor?!" he exclaimed shocked and jumped away from the gems impulsively

" This is the dude you guys whacked?" Sparx asked in excitement while he made his way closer towards one of the blue gems and began inspecting them as soon its surface reflected his image " He isn't that scary"

Cynder smirked " That's because you have to take a closer look" with that she slapped him with the blunt side of her tail, the dragonfly plastered onto the surface of the crystal and slumped down to the ground soon after. She grinned " How about now?"

" That didn't last long" Spyro commented the situation without any sign of surprise in his voice

Cynder shrugged " What can I say? Peace is fragile"

" No" Volteer's voice focused the attention of the group on the shimmering clusters " We shouldn't perceive the Spirit Gems in this manner. The crystals are solely an embodiment of the magical potential from which we are weaved. It is viable that a part of our singularity is perpetuated within the gems however we can't allow this thesis to befuddle our perspicacity, The Dark Master is gone"

Spyro kept staring at the glowing gems Volteer's response answered the question about the awkward feeling of dread behind the crystals. With one question out of the way another ones roused inside his head " Volteer you said that to restore my powers we need pure gems, so if a slight portion of Malefor's life force remained within the gems then how can they help us?"

" The gems sojourn pure only for a month or so after a dragon's demise, in the course of time the magic sustaining our world impairs the gems"

" Then we better hurry and get them to Warfang" Spyro stared at the clusters in silence " but how are we going to carry all of them?" he asked thoughtfully

Cynder looked around the cavern while scratching her choker, her claw stopped moving when her eyes located the laying troll " We could use the troll's tree-like arm to create some kind of bucket, the roots that connect its limbs would be perfect material for a rope of sorts, We put two and two together and voila! The transport is ready"

Spyro threw her a full of awe look " Cynder you are a genius"

She smiled " I have my moments"

Following Cynder's plan and listening to Volteer's advice, they filled the huge hunk with the required amount of gems, they've harvested almost the whole clusters yet there was still plenty of space left in the arm. With the gems in place they've wrapped the roots around the hunk and themselves creating some sort of a rope, before however they lifted the gem filled arm they've used a part of the troll's second arm to secure the hunk with some sort of a lid preventing. With the goal of their mission in their paws they were ready to return to Warfang.

They've began flapping their wings, rocks started to roll on the ground and dust hung in the air as the three drakes began to raise to the sky, the gem filled hunk proved to be more heavier than it looked. Groaning they've flapped their wings powerfully just to pass the most strenuous part of every weight lifting, After struggling with the heavy load they eventually lifted the hunk from the ground, with it in the air it was much easier to raise vertically upwards and through the destroyed ceiling.

As they gained the proper attitude they've turned around and made their way in the direction of Warfang. The three dragons flew in a triangle formation, with Volteer as the tip and two young dragons as opposite sides of the figure. The hunk dangled in the middle on long roots and arched itself forth when the drakes pushed forward. Their pace was slow, but at least they were moving in the direction they wanted to, accompanied by Sparx, and as he called it, his motivating comments which not helped but annoyed the dragons greatly.

It took them a while to leave the ashy terrain behind them, not only they've left the wrecked ground but also close a chapter in the history book of this Realms, the once glorious temple a symbol of draconic mentality which turned later into a symbol of Malefor's dominance was no more. With it all the bad and good memories were gone, starting from both young dragons birth to The Dark Master's rule just to end with the saving of the world. The course of time made a full circle, Spyro and Cynder were introduced to the world in that temple which brought unforeseen adventures with it soon later, just to push the world they knew into another era which once again will weaved in mystery.

" Let's stop here" Cynder panted when the first stream of clear water came into view

" You are tired?" Spyro asked quite shocked when he heard here weary voice, back in the days they could fight during the day and run during the night just to fight once again the next morning without even breaking a sweat

She swallowed hard " No silly, but just look at me" Cynder pointed at her snout with one of her claws " I can't return to Warfang looking like this" stripes of dried blood ran from her nose just to end on her mouth

" Gosh what's the difference" Sparx blurt out irritated " You are ugly anyway, nothing can be done here"

" I know but at least I want to get rid of the taste of my own blood from my mouth" She smiled and looked at Spyro " So, shall we?"

" A moment of respite will do us all good" Volteer added

Since the group reached an agreement the only thing left was to find a suitable spot to land. They've found a small clearing which could be easily seen from above, a spot of green grass with trees forming a circle around the greenish ground. The landing proved difficult, the blowing wind and the weight they carried that arched in every direction didn't make it any simpler, it was hard to maintain balance for the three drakes but slowly and steadily they were making their way down.

The descent was especially troublesome for Cynder, the adrenaline pumping through her veins during the battle was gone since long, now exhaustion too its place. Panting heavily Cynder flapped her wings with last ounces of strength, during this strenuous effort an idea crossed her mind. She could just stop, give her aching body some rest and just fold her wings, she would drag them down with her just like a rock tied to someone's ankle. Who cares if it would be a rough landing, they would reach the ground, is it really so important how they achieve their goal?

Cynder shook off this hideous thoughts, she is not the one who gives up easily, not to mention that she couldn't risk the health of her friends only because she hit the wall. After Cynder regained her balance the landing went smoothly, as soon the dragons paws touched the ground they've unstrapped the roots that held the heavy load, giving their back a moment of relief.

Panting heavily Cynder slowly freed herself from the burden she had to carry, she was unstrapping the artificial rope clumsily, barely able to catch some breath as she did so. As she kept fighting fiercely with the shackles that held her Cynder could see that Volteer already dropped the bonds that weight on him and was laying already on the greenish ground, relaxing. Spyro was also free, he was busy with talking with Sparx and the Electric Guardian, most likely about their present situation.

She didn't care about such things now, with the last shallow breath and groan the roots finally fell on the ground, crushing the grass below. Cynder had troubles standing on her paws, she swayed for a while before she eventually managed to regain balance, her weak legs barely could hold her feminine body, she could feel like they were just about to snap under her weight.

With her friends busy Cynder as quickly as she could plodded towards the nearby trees, lured by the sound of flowing water. As she kept trudging towards the river she could her between her rapid breaths the sound of snapping twigs, someone was following her and even without looking behind her shoulder she knew exactly who it was.

" Cynder!" Spyro shouted from behind her " Where are you going?"

" I've told you already...I...I need to...wash myself"

" Maybe you need some company?"

Cynder giggled weakly " As good as it may sound I think...that...that I can take care of it myself"

His cheeks adopted an intense red color when he repeated his words inside his head, the sentence sound a bit awkward to say the least " No, no, no, no..." he babbled quickly " I didn't mean...it's just that... I worry about you"

She caught a short breath " You always worry about me" Cynder panted and gave him a weak charming smile " Please Spyro, I need some privacy"

"But-"

" You can't leave Volteer with Sparx he needs...needs someone intelligent to talk to" she panted and grinned faintly.

Spyro was staring at her with concerned eyes, he could plainly see that she is tired, exhausted even and she is trying to hide it, even if she isn't doing a very good job at it. He didn't understand why is acting so mysteriously, he couldn't understand her stubbornness, however she is his friend, whatever is nagging her didn't get out of paw yet so he might as well respect her wish even if reluctantly. With that Spyro nodded and retreated back towards the clearing.

Cynder sighed in relief when his purple tail finally disappeared behind some bushes and trees, she didn't want to bring another problem on him, he has enough to worry about. Regaining his Time abilities and withstanding the constant adoration of pole are not some trifle matters.

Soon she arrived near a crystal clear river, some colorful fish could be seen just below the surface of the water. Warfang's neighbouring lands have one thing in common, they are as beautiful as they are serene. Cynder collapsed near on the riverbank, as she laid there on the ground her chest was moving up and down is fast motion, after a while she finally calmed her breath and was strong enough to carry on with her mission.

She looked at the water and could clearly see her own reflection, a streak of dried blood ran from her nose and towards her mouth. Cynder dipped her paw into the water and began cleaning the blood from her snout, she had to scrub her black scales to make the blood go away. As she kept cleaning herself she every now and then took a sip from the water to satisfy her growing thirst and as she did so she couldn't keep her eyes open.

Her eyelids were extremely heavy, the earlier fight and the two nightmares the previous nights left her drained, her body demanded sleep and oh how she wanted to give it what it wanted. She opened her eyes once again as she sprayed the water on her mouth not really caring whether she is already clean or not. Cynder jerked back just when she was about to dip her paw once again, either she imagined it or there was something below the surface of the water, whatever the thing was, it was gone now.

Cynder decided to ignore it, she might have been seeing things, after all she is tired beyond any imagination. She once again splashed some water on her snout, with her eyes closed she enjoyed the cooling effect of the water dripping down from her snout. Cynder took a deep breath and opened her eyes as she prepared to dip her paw once more, the moment her emerald gaze fixed itself on the water she gasped, a slim black shape darted to a side below the water's surface.

Cynder quickly jumped on all fours and narrowed her eyes on the swirling shape, it was swimming back and forth swiftly, her emerald orbs had troubles to catch up with it, and just when she thought to herself that this has to be some kind of strange fish that's not even worth bothering with the black shape stopped moving. A swirling black dot darkened the azure water, Cynder cautiously took some steps back, watching the dark dot intently.

She thrust her claws delicately into the earth below her reading herself for a confrontation. The black shape rose from the water vertically, it was a pitch-dark unsubstantial creature its body was covered in dust, it had the same build like the shadow creature she saw back in the cave some days ago. However this creature looked more like a living tentacle with the high of a meerkat than a warrior, it had no arms, ears or whatsoever, it was only a small slim shape protruding from the water, only a pair of white eyes observed the black dragoness. It didn't look scary or evil at all, why it was even quite cute.

Cynder eyed the creature with a shocked frown and her mouth slightly agape, she never seen anything like it, whatever the thing was it didn't seem too keen on attacking her, it just remained there above the surface of the water swaying slightly as it observed her

" Ummm...Hi there little guy" Cynder greeted the creature awkwardly

It just stared at her with big innocent white eyes.

"What are you? Can you speak?" she asked

The shadowy creature tilted its body as if in confusion and emitted some kind of squealing sound. Even if she could clearly see that the creature had no mouth it was still worth a try, at least she managed to find out that the strange being is intelligent

" You understand me don't you? Just what are you exactly?" Cynder asked loudly and made a step forward to inspect the creature more closely

Seeing her advance the shadowy being squealed and lowered itself down into the water, only its eyes remained above the surface

" No, no, no, sorry I didn't mean to startle you" she tried to calm down the odd looking beast with a soft tone " My name is Cynder and I'm a friend"

It still remained in the same position

" I won't hurt you" she dropped on the riverbank and delicately rippled the water with her claw " Don't be afraid, you are safe"

Her words seemed to work on the critter, it looked more relaxed than just a couple of seconds ago, slightly more of the creatures body appeared above the surface of the water, just like it wanted to show her how it feels.

" That's the spirit" Cynder patted the beast on the back while smiling kindly " Can you come closer? She once again rippled the water, urging the critter to move.

The shadowy creature presented a little more of its body and moved a bit closer, however after a couple of seconds it stopped

" Come, come it's alright, no one is going to harm you, don't be afraid, you are amongst friends"

The creature deciding that she is worth thrusting darted towards the black dragoness and stopped just at her paw's reach

She extended her paw towards the beast " You are quite cute" however just when she was about to touch it her eyes shot wide open when the creature dived underwater

" Hey!" Cynder exclaimed before she craned her neck forward so her head was hanging directly above the water " Come back, I'm sorry I shouldn't have try to touch you" she stared at the water but nothing happened, just when she was about to give up a black dot appeared on the surface of the water which was getting bigger with each second.

Cynder smiled inwardly, the strange creature was coming back, this time she will play it differently, however her happiness didn't last long since instead of appearing on the surface the creature shot from the water. She only emitted a faint gasp when the beast wrapped itself around her neck and squeezed it tightly before it dragged her underwater. Bubbles were coming out of her mouth as she tried to scream while she thrashed just to release herself from the deadly grip. Cynder was gasping for breath in mere seconds, her lungs started to sting, black dots darkened her vision not to mention that she could feel that her neck was almost completely crushed.

The small treacherous creature somehow was dragging her down, Cynder with the last ounces of her fading life started to thrash violently, she kicked in every direction, spun underwater, flapped her wings ferociously, she even scratched the creature with her claws and as she did so a screeching sound could be heard. Cynder did everything she could to free herself and somehow it was working, instead of going down she was raising up, the dancing sun rays on the surface of the water above were enough motivation for her, with one last powerful push of her paws and wings she reached for the enthralling salvation.

Somehow she could breathe the moment she resurfaced, with a loud gasp for air Cynder started to scratch the strange creature around her neck, every time her claws run alongside its slim body the same as previously screeching sound could be heard, like the beast was made of metal. However the critter was far from defeated, it tried to drag her once again underwater but she fought relentlessly, her thrashing creating loud splashing sounds as she fought to remain above the water. Cynder groaned as she tried to pull off the creature from her neck but it didn't want to budge, no matter how hard she scratched and yanked the shadowy being, it just didn't want to move.

" Cynder! What are you doing?" a familiar male shout came from the riverbank

Her heart pounded faster, she knew it was Spyro and he appeared just in time, with his help she will definitely get rid of the creature. She turned around in the water just to be able to see him, he was staring at her with a dumbfounded expression, it seems he was also shocked by the sight before him. Cynder kept scratching the beast but as previously it didn't want to budge " Get this thing off of me!" she groaned as she gave the critter another pull

" I thought that you like that choker"

"Wha-" she mumbled and impulsively blinked, he was still there staring at her, but this time he might have a bigger confusion plastered on his snout than before, however that was not the most crucial thing that changed. Cynder could no longer feel the creature, she looked down just to see her paws on the silver choker on her neck, with one of her forelegs she scratched the necklace while with the other she tried to pull it off. Cynder in utter confusion started to turn around splashing the water in every direction as she did so, to her surprise there was no sign of the creature. It was gone.

" Cynder are you sure nothing is wrong?" Spyro asked with a concerned voice " You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

She balked at the sound of his voice, even if she wanted to tell him about it she wouldn't even know how to start, after all it's not like she understands what is happening. Cynder decided to play stupid " Come on silly" she chuckled nervously " Couldn't you see that I was fooling around?"

" That didn't look as fooling around to me"

" What else can it be? I wanted to clean myself, and do you know any better why to do that than jump into a water? I don't think so, I've decided to go for a swim can you blame me that I wanted to pass the time somehow? There is no better way to do that than to play if you ask me, wanna join me?" Cynder asked uneasily

" I'm sorry Cynder but we can't lose any more time, we have lingered here long enough" Spyro replied bluntly

" What are you talking about? It's not like I've been here for hours"

" Actually you've been here for three hours, the first time I came here I saw you sleeping on the riverbank so I thought that you deserved some rest after that battle. I would let you sleep longer but Volteer said that time is of the essence so here I am"

" I fell asleep?" Cynder asked perplexed

" Yep, you were really tired Cynder you could barely walk and now look at yourself, that had to be some really special nap" Spyro smiled

" You have no idea" she muttered under her breath. He had no reason to lie to her, it seemed that she drifted away while she was washing herself. That would be the only logical explanation for her unexpected encounter, of course if there is a logical explanation for a tentacle-like creature trying to choke her. Cynder decided to leave it be, there is no sense to dwell on it now, she had more pressing matters on her head right now, the strange dreams can be figured out later " Let's get moving" she stated confidently

Spyro nodded in agreement and waited for her as she pulled herself out of the water. The moment both dragons have reunited they've made their way back to the clearing. As they've been walking Cynder looked behind her shoulder, just to check if the creature is there, it wasn't.

"Finally" Sparx exhaled gratefully when both young dragons came into view " What took you so long?" he asked indignantly and pointed one of his fingers at Volteer accusingly "I can barely stand the guy, he never shuts up"

Cynder rolled her eyes " Look who's talking"

" Point taken, but you have to admit that at least I make some sense"

She laughed heartily " You made my day"

Sparx frowned and folded his arms " Shut up"

Volteer approached the three friends " I don't want to disparage this rapturous state of mind but we must make haste, the reclamation of your talent Spyro is receding with each passing second"

Reaching a common agreement the three dragons once again wrapped the roots around themselves and once again they lifted the heavy load from the ground. Cynder had more strength in her this time, that special nap as Spyro called it helped her a bit. She couldn't tell if the sleep itself had anything to do with it but she was quite sure that the life threating experience gave her a new lease of life.

With the crystals in the air the group dragged the heavy hunk towards Warfang, not even Volteer knew when the crystals will lose their special properties but this was no time to be taking risk, they had to reach Warfang as soon as possible. From this moment forth their journey was a quick and an uneventful one, only the grunts of struggle broke the silence.

After a while of calm flight the thick walls of the Dragon City came into view, that sight roused some additional strength in the dragons as they pushed harder than before just to reach its walls as fast as possible. The guards had already spotted them since the whole city was bustling with activity, as they flew over the walls and the many buildings the crowd of people greeted them from below, even from here the group of friends could see curiosity plastered on their faces, after all the sight of three dragons carrying a huge hunk of crystals is not a day to day experience.

They've landed in the courtyard of the City Hall, the moment the heavy trolls' arm was placed delicately onto the ground, both young dragons following Volteer's lead positioned themselves in front of the hunk. With the three dragons in position they began dragging the hunk towards the massive adorned doors which led to the City Hall. The Electric Guardian's excitement grew with each step they made, it grew and grew almost to the pint when it radiated of him.

When the sound of the opening doors echoed throughout the interior of the City Hall both Terrador and Cyril rose their heads from the papers sprawled on the top of the table which they were reading diligently. Both Guardians weren't really keen to welcome Volteer back and question him since they both knew that the Electric Guardian will tell them about everything, in great detail of course. However they couldn't hide their confusion when they noticed a big hunk being dragged across the room.

Terrador rose from behind the table and made his way towards the approaching group, eyeing intently the heavy load they carried with them " Why did you bring a troll's arm here?" he asked with his baritone voice

Before any of the dragons could answer him Sparx interjected, he appeared from behind the hunk and hovered in front of the Earth Guardian " This is a really special troll's arm, which we were able to get thanks to my amazing skills and intelligence, not that I'm bragging or anything. I'm just that good"

" Fascinating" the Earth Guardian replied without any emotion before he focused on the group once again " Volteer can you kindly explain for what do you need this special troll's arm?"

" Haste is required, we will converse later" the Electric Guardian replied with palpable excitement

Cyril's eyes shot wide open " Did I hear correctly? You actually want to talk LATER?" the third Guardian asked using a tone of voice that was full of scorn and amusement

" Correct"

" Someone pinch me" the Ice Guardian cackled

There was no other response from the group as they were entirely focused on the task at hand, this effort required all of their strength which they just couldn't waste on conversation. Seeing their commitment Terrador didn't ask any more questions, he bottled up his curiosity until the group entered the Guardian's Quarters and two young dragons emerged from within its walls soon after.

" Spyro...?" Terrador prolonged his name meaningfully

The purple dragon swallowed and took a deep breath " Volteer needs some time to prepare everything"

" Prepare what exactly?"

" The hunk we dragged in here? It's filled with pure Spirit Gems. Before you ask..." Spyro cut off Terrador just when he was about to speak "...this gems are quite fragile, they get tainted after a while, meaning they can no longer wake up dormant powers od dragons, like my Time ability for example"

" That's not everything" Cynder added " With the help of these gems Spyro will most likely be able to detect the veils that were created after he healed the world"

Terrador tilted his head " Veils?"

" Something like holes in the thing air that lead to another day, month or year, no big deal really" she winked

" I can't believe it" Cyril exhaled incredulously " The old babbler was right after all"

" As much as the time jumping seems to be somewhat exciting I don't like the sound of it" The Earth Guardian retorted with the caution of an experienced soldier

They have been talking, sharing their thoughts and feelings about the recent events and what the future may hold for them until the sound of Volteer's excited voice called them from the Guardians Quarters. Impulsively they made their way into the library, the draconic instinct didn't let them down, they have found the Electric Guardian where they've expected him to be.

The library looked quite different than before, the bookshelves that once stood in the center of the room were now nicely aligned on the walls, the red carpet that once covered the floor was folded and tossed into a corner, not to mention the wooden floor itself, boards and nails were scattered around the room just like somebody would tear them off from the ground on purpose. A big shimmering blue circle was now in the middle of the room, in the center of that circle wan another smaller one from which many glowing tendrils protruded and connected themselves with the inner ring of the bigger circle. Even from here the dragons could feel the power emanating from the strange mosaic.

" What's that Volteer?" Terrador asked while staring at the Electric Guardian's creation

" Dazzling is it not?" Volteer replied with a happy tone " Basing on Spyro's tale about The Chronicler and his inexplicable restoration of dormant potential I've devised this spectacular Focusing Ring. In the place of the abolished and superfluous floor I've imbedded segments of the gems we retrieved from the cave and forged a point of focus where all the potential of the crystals will accrue. Fundamentally this concept is like a substantial gem cluster, as we conceive our kind is able to ingurgitate only single crystals, that's why it's crucial to fragmentize them. If dragons could correlate with whole clusters of Spirit Gems that would prompt to a situation where-"

" Get to the point Volteer" Cyril hissed irritated

" Yes, naturally, Spyro please stand in the middle of the smaller ring and we will proceed."

Spyro did what he was told, as he approached the circle he kept thinking about Malefor and his essence trapped within these shattered crystals. As he kept walking he noticed that Cynder was sharing his worries, her concerned emerald eyes followed him as he walked towards the circle. With one deep breath he stopped in the middle of the smaller ring, it may be his only chance to recover his lost ability.

" Whenever you are ready Spyro" Volteer said.

Spyro knew what is required of him, this circle reminded him of the ones that The Chronicler created in his dreamworld. He needs only to focus on the gems, just like he would be absorbing a single crystal, however this time thanks to the specially designed mosaic all of the crystals gathered in the room will join with his body at the same time. Another deep breath, well here goes nothing.

Spyro concentrated and soon the whole mosaic began to glow with a blue light that was becoming more intense with each passing second. The whole library was covered in a blue gleam instantly, the intense blue light illuminated the bigger circle and was now moving through the tendrils, behaving like some kind of spark every now and then. In mere moments the shimmer entered the smaller ring, when that happened a column of blue light surrounded Spyro which ended on the ceiling above.

He was lifted in the air while he was in the gleaming prison, as he hovered above the ground Spyro could feel as the gems were making their way through his body, fueling him with their essence and magical energy. It felt like thousands suns passing though his body, the feeling died down and he landed on the floor with shaking paws. Spyro swayed slightly while the world kept spinning around and his head pounded, the awkward feeling of his insides turned upside down was gone after a while, another sensation appeared in the place of the vertigo, one that he was familiar with but quite forgotten. He knew what it was-Time.

" Spyro is our experiment a success?" Volteer asked barely able to contain his excitement

Spyro smiled " I'll show you" with that he channeled his time powers.

Everything slowed won, every noise disappeared, everything seemed to be still, just like something would steal the life from the entire world and cast it into the realm of black and white,. Only on closer inspection one could see Cynder's head slowly turning, Volteer's tongue moving as it tries to form another word, Sparx slowly flapping wings or the Guardians lazily changing grimaces.

Spyro was the only one who moved freely in this timeshift, he left the circle and made his way in front of his brother, he stopped right in front of his nose and halted his little trick. The moment everything returned to normal the first thing that was heard was Sparx's terrified yelp, in sock the dragonfly shot backwards quite some distance away. Spyro only laughed

" You think that's funny?!" Sparx exclaimed angrily " I've almost had an heart attack!"

" Spyro please, please do it again" Cynder begged him in a childish and sarcastic manner

" Our goal is achieved!" Volteer exclaimed loudly " Further tests and observations are required, come" with that he darted through the door.

Everyone in the library threw confused looks between themselves, but seeing that Volteer was right about everything regarding the strange unexplained occurrences it was not the time to doubt him now. With a shrug they followed the Electric Guardian outside.

The moment they left the City Hall the group immediately took to the sky and in silence followed Volteer's quick pace, wondering what's the amber dragon up to now. They have flown only for a short while, leaving some buildings and wider streets behind them just to land in a pretty secluded alley at this time of the day. Nothing interesting was here, just some walls, statues and lanterns. The Electric Guardian landed with the same verve as he had when he took to the sky, the group that followed him reached the ground soon after.

As their claws clicked on the marble road Volteer immediately spun around " Does your eyes perceive something unprecedented Spyro?"

He looked around, there was nothing here that could be accounted as unusual " Sorry Volteer but I can't see anything. I don't even know what I'm looking for"

" In this part of Warfang Brill made his inexplicable appearance. One of the Veils must be here"

" Even if that is the truth I don't know how can I locate it, it might not be here anymore."

" The potential of aggregation is depreciated" Volteer replied with growing anticipation in his voice

Spyro understood his hint, he want him to try so he might as well do what is expected of him, it's not like he has anything to lose anyway. He once again began to look around, there was nothing there, he inhaled deeply, closed his eyes and concentrated. After exhaling the accumulated air he opened his eyes and began to turn his head around again, as far as he could tell nothing changed. He repeated the same move two more times but those attempts also didn't bear fruit.

Spyro began to move around the alley desperately looking for that itch that announced a hole in the world is nearby, nothing like that seemed to be here. He began swaying his tail slowly just to cover more space, and it was then when he felt a small itch on his purple scales. Spyro instantly spun around forcing a slight gasp from his friends, he impulsively began moving his paw back and forth in the air, directly in the place where he felt that itch. As he moved his paw to the right side he felt a slight tug on his claws, he moved his paw to the opposite side, another tug, another side- tug, once again to the left-tug. He withdrew his paw and clenched his fist, there was something there, weak but still there.

Spyro took a short breath and extended his foreleg while also unclenching his fist and concentrating, his eyes shot wide open when the air in front of him rippled slightly, just like he would dip his claws into the water. Only three of his claws managed to pierce the weak barrier, he began clenching and unclenching his fist, moving his claws and paw in every possible direction and as he did so he created small ripples in the air just like he would be rippling the water.

" Can you see this?" Spyro whispered in shock

" Spectacular discovery!" Volteer roared loudly " Spyro I believe that you can not only sense the Veils but somehow also be able to manipulate them"

" Manipulate them?" Terrador repeated his last words cautiously

The Electric Guardian began making circles " I presume that it is attainable to transform the Veils into some kind of doors, a gateway between two equivalent universes but in a comprehensively separate day or even age!"

Cynder scratched her choker thoughtfully " You want to say that-"

" Damn, it's gone" Spyro interjected " I think I've depleted it"

She once again focused on the amber dragon " You want to say that it is possible for us to jump in time?"

" Precisely!" Volteer replied almost feverishly

" So everyone on the other side of the mirror can pass through this portal whenever they wish to?" Cyril asked

" It's too early to state any facts, more investigation in this matter is required, but I believe it is possible"

" And that is what worries me the most " Terrador added while throwing an alarmed glance at the place where the Veil was previously.

Spyro stood on the balcony of his room, his eyes were jumping from Warfang and the stretching world in the distance and as he observed the scenery he couldn't help it but wonder when things got so complicated. A day before yesterday he was happily living with his parents in his house in the Swamps, day after he defeated The Dark Master with Cynder and saved the world, and when he thought it was finally over today he learned that healing the world had its consequences. This time however there is no one who can tell him about the strange occurrences he is about to face, the unknown terrified him and the feeling of dread only intensified the feeling."

" Big, huh? Sparx appeared next to Spyro

He sighed " Tell me about it"

" And here when I thought that we will finally rest, bam! We are back in business"

" This is different, we don't know what we are up against and it scares the hell out of me"

Sparx patted his shoulder " Bro relax, it's not our first rodeo"

Spyro threw his brother an surprised look " Aren't you worried at all? It might change the world we know entirely"

The dragonfly shrugged " Nope, and honestly I've expected something will turn up eventually, bro face it, you are a magnet for troubles but luckily for you I will be around to assist you with my above average intelligence"

Spyro chuckled " I don't doubt that" his smile vanished the moment he looked at the horizon

" Mystery is as appalling as it is thrilling" Volteer added as he landed on the balcony next to the brothers

" I think we would get along without it just fine"

"There are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors to perception"

Spyro sighed and smiled weakly " It seems we will have to wait and see what I've created"

Volteer smiled " A realm which I deemed was latent" with that the Electric Guardian left the balcony

" Ok now explain to me what did you create" Sparx said as soon as Volteer was some distance away

Spyro kept staring at the horizon " A new world"

End of Book I